Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-03-04

w alkefs no Hdu Souo Odob oA'OA
the massacre, and had built for
himself a bullet-proOf wagon. 1t
was a great cage on wheels, and
everything about it was made OF
iron. Wheels, box, bottom, top
every part of 1t was bullet proof
1t was pierced or lOOpholed in fifty |
places for musketry, ventilated at
the top, and was drawn by four
mules. The man must had consid- |
cradle means at his disposal to pay !
for a vehicle like that, and he had
come all the way from Council
Bluffs alone. The interior was
fitted up with a sleeping berth, iron
tanks for holding food and water,
and he had come back to the plains
to keep his vow. But tor his grim
ness the idea would have raised q
laugh. He must have been EN-
route for many long days, and he
certainly had passed through many
perils. We heard afterwards that
as he reached the fort one after
noon, and 1t became known that he
would push on, every effort was
made to dissuade him. For time
he was silent-grim-deaf. Then
he pointed to the northeast and
said:
"There lie the bones of my chill
dren and friends, and l will not
rest until 1 have avenged them
twice over"
They told him the country was
alive with hostiles, aud that every
rod of the way was beset with per-
lis; bat as the sun went down be
harnessed his mules to the iron
tongue, climbed into the saddle,
and without nod of farewell to any
one he rode to the west in the gath
ering gloom-mOre grim, more de-
termined, more of a devil than a
human being. He had travelled a
good share of the night over a
country IN which death lurked in
every ravine, but the watchtnl saw
ages had not espied him. He had
travelled until mid-afternoon next
day along trail where savages out
numbered the snakes twenty to one,
but somehow they had missed him.
We we're riding at full speed for the
| fort, keeping the shelter of the dry
ravines and the valleys, and ex-
pecting at any moment to be pur-
sued, when We ran upon Grim
Walker. His wagon stood on the
open prairie, at least half a mile
from the river and the shelter OF
the cottonwoods. The four mules
had been embarrassed and turned
out to Craze, and the man was cook
ing his supper at campfire, the
smoke of which would draw In
dams for ten miles around. On
establishment when we found hin
there alone kept us dumb for a few
minutes. We sat on our horses
and stared at him, and he greeted
our presence by a mere nod. WheT
l recognized him as Grim Walker
! l began to suspect the enterprise
he had OIL foot, and after | had pu
a few questions he briefly explain
ed;
~ am here to kill Indians. IoI
can look my wagon over ii yol
want to-
1t was what | have described
. He had barrel of fresh water,
! lot of -four and meat, a small stow
to cook on, and a perfect arsenal o
{ firearms. 1t was evident that tn
3 Indians could not get at him Will
bullets nor tomahawk, nor fire, an'
{ 1t would take weeks to starve hin
? out. There was only one thing tina
{ troubled the man. His stock woul'
Q be killed of at once when he wa
attacked, and he would then hav
+. no way OF moving bis wagon. WI
( helped him out of his dilemma b.
9 agreeing to take the animals t
the Fort. The harnesses were plle'
p, into his house, and it was under
e stood that he would come for tn
8 mules when he wanted them. Ill
= had a compass, and we gave hin
q the exact bearings, and as we rod
: away he was preparing to toast an
t other piece of meat, seeming utter
1 ly unconcerned over the dangers o
a his surroundings. AS to what hap
= pened him during the next thre
a weeks | had a few meagre detail
1 from his own lips, but plenty OF IN
formation from warriors who alter
D ward became "friendly." That is
f when licked out of their boots hal
}. a dozen times, their villages dc
l stroyed, many Of their ponies shot
t and theirsquawsand childrend driver
9 to temporary starvation, they crle'
= for peace in order to recruit AM
{ make ready for another campaign
r The campfire which Grim Wake
5 built saved the three of us fron
I being ambushed. A warrior toll
= me that forty savages were betweeI
e us and the fort when the smoke LEI
= them to believe that a large part,
= of immigrants must be camped il
the bottoms. 1t could only be
large party which would dare bull
D such fire in hostile country
\ The warriors were all drawn OIL b.
, q signal to attack the larger game
o,d hafora aundown that eyenln